


Such Bliss

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M, Family, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-24 09:58:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4915117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rafael showed his love for her Noah every single day.  Trinkets and trips weren't the only way to do so.  Not that she would turn down trinkets and trips.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Such Bliss

“Mami. Mami, please, don’t make me regret this.”

“Why would you ever regret it?” Lucia Barba asked.

“I can think of a million reasons why.” Rafael sighed, doing his very best not to roll his eyes. His mother had eyes in the back of her head. In his forties or not, an eye roll was a slap worthy offense.

“You're just being pessimistic…I don’t even know where you get all that pessimism from.”

“Gee, let’s take a couple of wild guesses.”

Lucia stopped looking at the displays and looked at her son. Her precious Rafael, she remembered the day he was born. She’d actually wanted a little girl but his sister would come 15 months later. He was a beautiful, fat, pleasant baby. Those sparkling green eyes that no one could quite figure out where they came from. 

Her mother was sure it was from her maternal grandmother, who had been part of Cuba’s upper class. Her husband sometimes muttered under his breath it meant Rafael wasn’t his. She didn’t pick favorites with her kids and if she had, Lucia would pick her daughter. Her middle child could be temperamental. She didn’t know him very well, even after all these years. She comforted herself with the fact that so few people did.

“I helped your brother with this and did a great job…both times. I didn’t like Stephanie but I didn’t let that stop me from helping him make the best decision at the time.”

“Mami, I'm not going to give you kudos for picking out the perfect ring when you gave her hell for the next four years.” Rafael said.

“She wasn’t a good wife; you can't blame that on me.”

Of course he couldn’t blame that on her. Stephanie was a horrible wife. But he could blame his mother for pointing it out every time she got the opportunity. For the first time in his life Rafael actually felt sorry for his brother. 

For nearly six years he was caught in the middle between two very headstrong people. That wasn’t easy for a man with a shitty temper. It made for some very interesting Sunday dinners. Not that Rafael went home for them much. What his brother, and his father to a higher degree, lacked in temper, he lacked in patience.

“I don’t blame you.” He put his hand on his mother’s shoulder. “Can we just do this?”

“Well how much money are you willing to spend?” Lucia asked.

“Money doesn’t matter.”

“If money doesn’t matter, we should be at Tiffany.”

“I do this to myself.” Rafael mumbled under his breath. “I absolutely do this to myself.”

“Don’t mumble, Rafi.”

“Yes mami.”

She stopped at one of the display cases and looked at the rings. They were all quite beautiful though some were a little ostentatious. She didn’t know Olivia Benson well, which was something she would get on her son about a little later. The few times she'd come to family events with that adorable little boy of hers, her style seemed low key. She was a police officer so walking around with a huge diamond would be ridiculous. She would need something practical, pretty but practical.

“You should get the three stone, it just looks better on a woman’s finger.” Lucia said. “Platinum is too expensive so white gold is fine…maybe a platinum setting. Some of these bands are so thin and look cheap, Rafi. I don’t want you buying some cheap looking ring.”

“That’s why I brought you.”

“Sometimes I swear you have better taste than me.”

“Not when it comes to this.” He said.

“You know Olivia well. You know what she likes and doesn’t like.”

“I don’t, Mami. I've never bought an engagement ring before.”

“And you sure she's the one?” Lucia asked.

“Absolutely.” He nodded.

“Because for a while you kept company with men so I just assumed…”

“Mom!” Rafael growled in frustration. “Are you really going to go there, right now? Why don’t you just say it a little louder for the kid in the back who probably has no idea that I'm a bisexual?”

“I'm just saying.” She shrugged.

“Mom,” he put his hands on her shoulder and took a deep breath. This conversation was never going to be easy and that’s why Rafael had given up on it years ago. Having to explain himself, his sexuality, over and over again was emotionally draining. She was never going to understand. 

“I love Olivia. I love her and I've decided to ask her to marry me. The relationship we have is amazing and I want to be with her for the rest of my life. It does not negate that I am attracted to men and I have been with men. I know it’s difficult for you but that doesn’t make it any less true.”

“Well we don’t have to worry about it anymore because you're getting married.” Lucia smiled as she caressed his face. “We can put all of that behind us now.”

We? Rafael didn’t realize that his mother had been in all of his relationships with him up to that point. But he put on a smile, as he did 95% of the time, and he let his mother flit around the jewelry store. This was Lucia’s moment, which was exactly why he brought her along. They didn’t spend enough time together and this was a good compromise. Rafael knew this would make his mother happy. All he ever wanted was for her to look at him, think of him, and be happy.

“So you were saying that three diamond might be the best…?”

“Oh yes, absolutely.” Lucia smiled. “You want three carat and white gold band, no more than a carat and a half, Rafael. Anything else is ostentatious and I didn’t raise you to be ostentatious.”

“Actually…”

“Don’t argue, I am 100% right on this. Come, let’s look over here…I think I saw one that would be perfect.”

***

“Hey, I bought you a present.”

“Did you?” Olivia looked up from her laptop. 

She was finishing up some paperwork from the office. Tomorrow was Saturday and she had the entire weekend off. Rafael was taking her and Noah fishing on Long Island Sound in the morning. They would spend a few hours out on the boat to see if the toddler could make his first catch. On Sunday there would be a brunch out followed by taking Noah to Frolic! at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Work was not going to interrupt 48 hours of fun and relaxation with her boys.

“I did. I made a decision earlier this week that I must buy you more presents.”

“You don’t have to spoil me.”

“What are you talking about?” Rafael poked his head out of the bathroom door. “I absolutely do have to spoil you. I do and I will.”

Olivia laughed, looking up at him. When she saw him her facial expression changed.

“What's wrong?”

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Shaving.”

“First of all, no. Second, who shaves at night?”

“I do. And I have no idea how to interpret or answer the first thing.”

“Keep the beard, for the weekend.” She said. “I want to get some great pictures tomorrow and I love the beard. Also, I love to make love with the beard.”

“Technically, its scruff.” Rafael said.

“Fine, keep the scruff. Please.”

“Yes ma'am.” He smiled. “I’ll rinse off and be right out. Open your present, it’s under your pillow.”

Olivia nodded. She finished up, shut her laptop down, and reached under her pillow. Pulling out a red box, she untied the gold ribbon and opened it. They had been officially together for almost a year but other than on requisite days where one expects gifts, this hadn’t really been their thing. 

Olivia didn’t mind one way or the other. Rafael showed his love for her Noah every single day. Trinkets and trips weren't the only way to do so. Not that she would turn down trinkets and trips.

“Oh my god, Rafi, they're beautiful.”

“Do you like them?” he came out of the bathroom in boxers and a tee shirt, joining her on the bed.

“Of course I do.” she caressed his face. “You shouldn’t have.”

“Uh uh, none of that. You deserve to be spoiled, Olivia Benson.” He leaned to kiss her. “You deserve to have the entire world on a platter if it suits you.”

“Stop.” Olivia bit her lip and looked at the earrings. 

They were little diamond drops and they were beautiful. She didn’t have tons of jewelry, it had never been something she needed. She had her favorite necklaces, her special occasion pieces, and the costume jewelry she pulled out when it was time to go to a party. These earrings were perfect for everyday or for a nice, romantic dinner.

“Do you want me to stop?” Rafael was nibbling on her neck. “Or do you want me not to stop?”

“Take a wild guess, Counselor.”

“I want you to say it.” He trailed a finger down from her throat to the top of her tank top.

“Don’t stop, Rafi.”

Growling his approval, Rafael pulled her on top of him. Olivia grinned, running her fingers through his hair. Their kisses were passionate and plentiful. He pulled her even closer, blissful in the way her body felt pressed against his.

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” She stroked his cheek.

“I know we haven’t been together long but not many things in my life have ever felt so meant to be.”

Olivia couldn’t always find the words but with Rafael it wasn’t just about speaking. Their actions were important too. Still, she wanted to say something. How do you tell someone that in so little time they came to mean so much? There had been boyfriends before him, even attempts at serious relationships. 

It never worked out and Liv could never figure out why. Was she just destined to be unlucky in love? With Rafael, it was so easy. Every couple had issues and they were no exception, but Olivia never felt as if she had to be anyone but herself. He didn’t mind that she was headstrong. He held her when she cried and when she slept. 

He listened to her, whether they were talking about sex crimes or Peter Gabriel albums. He loved her son and had gone from slightly uncomfortable around children to jumping right into a paternal role with both feet. Rafael wanted to be with Olivia. There was nothing insincere about his feelings for her or for Noah. More obstacles would surely come their way…that was the way of the world. She knew that if were together it wasn’t going to be a problem.

“I think we’re pretty good for each other.” She said, kissing him. “I haven’t felt this good in a long time.”

“I want to feel this way forever, Liv. I know it sounds corny; I'm going to ask you to forgive me for that. They say love is a drug, you chase this feeling. It’s a rush, yes, but it’s something more. It’s…”

“Home.”

“Yes.” Rafael smiled. “That’s it. You and Noah are my home. I don’t want to be somewhere else anymore. I don’t want to be looking or not looking. I just want to be with you.”

“I'm not going anywhere.”

He gave her Eskimo kisses and then held her close. Rafael wanted to ask, he just wanted to ask and get it over with. His heart was beating so fast, Olivia had to know since they were so close.

“You're trembling.” She said.

“Am I?”

“Yeah. Are you alright?”

“Let’s get married.” Rafael blurted out.

“I'm sorry?”

“Let’s get married, Liv.”

“Are you serious?”

“I'm serious.” He nodded. “I have a ring; it’s in my briefcase.”

Rafael couldn’t help but laugh as she jumped off the bed and rushed across the room. She got his briefcase, bringing it back over to where he sat. He opened it and took the box from the inside pocket. The briefcase went on the floor beside the nightstand. Olivia just looked at him.

“Oh wow.” She whispered.

“You should see it before you say that.” He went to hand it to her. “Open it.”

“You open it.” Olivia gently pushed it back toward him.

“I should probably do this right.” 

He got up from the bed and down on one knee. Olivia’s smile was huge, she was trying to keep the tears from falling down her face. _Hold on, hold on_ , she told herself. _Something big is coming and you can cry then_.

“Olivia Benson, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed. “Oh my god, it’s beautiful.”

Rafael put the ring on her finger. He kissed her and they fell back on the bed together. Olivia put her hand on his chest, unable to stop looking at the ring. She was wearing an engagement ring, how crazy was that? It wasn’t that she had given up, almost but not quite. This was the last thing she ever expected. All she’d seen and done and been through, he was probably the only one who still had the power to surprise her.

“I would marry you tomorrow if I could.” She said.

“Who says you can't?”

“New York County. The office is closed on the weekend.”

“Monday then.” Rafael kissed her forehead.

“I've got to buy a dress first. This is my first wedding so I want a beautiful dress. We need to apply for our license and that’s at least 72 hours. Noah needs to be fitted for a suit. And I want to have it in the park under the gigantic tree near Strawberry Fields, with Judge Donnelly officiating. We need witnesses!”

“Trevor, of course. I want him to be there with us.”

“And Melinda. I don’t want to tell anyone else yet…working together and being married is a conflict of interest. You wouldn’t be able to remain ADA on cases where your wife was investigating.”

“Deception…I love it.”

“It’s not deception.” Olivia slapped him and laughed. “It’s an omission, that’s all. Just for a little while.”

“Omission…I love it. My mother has to be there.”

“Of course. Does she know about this?”

“She helped me pick out the ring. I'm sure she’ll be disappointed that we don’t want to make more of a big deal about the event. I’ll explain to her all about the omission.”

“We should get wedding bands sometime this week. And we’ll get married next Sunday.”

“You're really going to marry me?” Rafael sat up and looked at her.

“Don’t sound so shocked, Counselor. Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”

“I don’t know if I deserve you.”

“That shouldn’t be a concern.” Olivia pulled him into her arms. “Who doesn’t deserve this feeling? You absolutely do, and so do I. Just promise me one thing.”

“Anything.”

“That it’s never going to end.”

It wasn’t for him, of that he was sure. Every day he hoped it would be the same for Olivia. Relationships came and went; one in three marriages still ended in divorce. That was just a fact. Somehow Rafael was going to find a way to keep his head in the clouds with his feet on the ground. In the end that was what they both deserved.

***


End file.
